Review by Ryan Reyes
Photos by Khammy Phanthavong
Rappers Tech N9ne and Mad Child recorded 7 EPs and albums between them since their last visits to Winnipeg. That amount of new material would justify a show. No justification needed. Their fans are some of the most loyal and passionate around.
By all accounts locals Drezus and Winnipeg’s Most had great opening sets. Winnipeg’s Most is one of the hardest hustling rap groups in Canada. Naturally that showed onstage. Midway through Mad Child’s set he yelled “I got one question for everybody in this fucking room! Who here is proud to be Canadian?!” The crowd roared and immediately the melody from “Fuel Injected”(from the Swollen Members album Bad Dreams) blasted from the speakers. I felt like busting out b-boy moves but that would have been ill-advised. The energy continued with the guitar riff-heavy “Warrior” followed by “Monster” and finally “Dickhead” from his latest album Dope Sick.
Tech N9ne’s Strange Music labelmate Krizz Kaliko performed his song “Kill Shit” with such energy that his rapid-fire delivery led to generous amounts of saliva spraying the mic. Soon after, Tech N9ne appeared and started off his set with “Like Yeah” from his 2008 album Killer. His “Technicians”(an endearing term that refers to his loyal fans) went wild. One overzealous Technician had the unfortunate pleasure of kissing the floor after no one caught him after his crowd-surfing swan dive. “Am I A Psycho” was a fitting song during that sequence. A few moments later 3 large bras flew onstage after a suggestion by Tech N9ne. Red, leopard-print and a white lacy number. The bosom theme continued. A couple women who flashed the crowd definitely did not own any of the aforementioned bras. What could have been a better transition to “Areola”? Tech N9ne’s catalogue is massive so many favourites like “Worldwide Choppers,” “Caribou Lou” and “Demons” were only given the two minute treatment.
This hip hop show was by far the best one I’ve experienced this year. The crowd, the performances and the energy were amazing. The show ended fittingly with the infamous Tech N9ne machine gun salute… with a bang!
